


From Pain Blooms Love

by Rosedrop



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romantic Gestures, and sometimes the best cure is fried food and a redhead by your side, lots of love between these two, reno and aerith have a younger/older sibling-type relationship, some days are just really hard you know?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 16:06:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30041226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosedrop/pseuds/Rosedrop
Summary: An unexpected issue during work leads to Rude trying to smother himself in his work and the turbulent thoughts running rampant in his mind. Reno, sensing his partner's downward descent does his best to bring his parter back up for air with a visit to one of their favorite date-night spots. Basically just these two dealing with the aftermath of a rough day, with a cameo from everyone's favorite local florist.
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	From Pain Blooms Love

**Author's Note:**

> Felt the need to write something a bit more angsty, though with plenty of love and fluff still, and since I've had the prompt "Give S/O a flower" stuck in my noters for forever I decided to combine the two into some rdrn! Enjoy!

A wad of paper lands on Rude’s desk.

He blinks at the sudden intruder, trying to remember if it’s a scarp he balled up and forgot to throw in the trash, but the trash’s position in the middle of the jumble of papers he’s been working on says otherwise. The sound of someone clearing their throat to his left confirms his other suspicion.

“Reno.” His redheaded partner is standing a few feet away, Rude having failed to notice him walking into the room at all. He’s dressed in the casual clothes they keep down stored in their lockers, jeans and grey V-neck underneath a maroon button-down with the sleeves rolled up and buttons left undone with his trademark black boots, a towel draped around his neck, though in this light it’s hard for Rude to tell if his hair’s wet from a shower, or just sweat. Reno stares at him for a moment, face suspiciously blank, before casually lifting his hand up to reveal two gym bags held in his hand, one that Rude immediately recognizes as his own, “Need something?”

“Think someone got too caught up in his paper-work again,” Reno sing-songs, though there’s still that weird neutral expression on his face, and he unhooks two of his fingers to gently toss Rude’s bag up on the table across from his desk. The loud thump of it landing on the wood is especially jarring in the otherwise quiet office, “Damn man, we can’t both be crappy at keeping track of time and shit, that’s way too much ammo for the Chief during bar nights.” 

“What are you talking about- … oh, oh _shit_. Sorry Reno,” Rude stammers out, mind flashing with the memory of promising to meet Reno over in the gym after work, to do some more hand-to-hand training together. It may have been before every went to shit that day, but he’d even waved Reno away when the redhead announced he was heading down early to stretch out first. Rude brushes the ball of paper away and starts shuffling through the rest of the papers in front of him, “Damn just, give me five more minutes to wrap this up Reno, I’ll meet you down there and-”

“Rude. Stop.” Reno drops his bag on the ground and walks the rest of the way over to Rude’s desk, sitting on the edge, and with a firm grip to disguise the gentleness underneath he takes Rude’s wrist and pulls the paper out of his hand, setting it down behind him, and then maneuvering his partner’s arm until Rude’s left staring into the face of his watch. It takes a moment, but his heart sinks when he sees the time.

It’s 8:26. Nearly two and a half hours past when Rude said he’d meet his partner downstairs.

“I…” Rude knows he’s not always the best with his words, something he’s always been extremely grateful for that Reno’s understood and accepted since day one, but now he really feels stuck. Shit, he hadn’t even thought to text him a quick “Sorry, I’m gonna be late.”

“I see all those cogs turning Rude. Come back down for a sec and listen, cause I’m not mad at you dumbass.” Reno says and he’s right, Rude sees no anger on that gorgeous face but there’s something equal parts pleading and determined shining in his eyes that has him adjusting his grip to hold Rude’s hand properly, each of their fingers moving automatically to grasp one another, “I’m not mad, I thought maybe you needed some more time to yourself, but that doesn’t mean I’m just gonna stand around and let this shit bury you alive, man.” He rubs at one of Rude’s knuckles where a scrap has managed to outrun the white bandages wrapped around the rest of his hand.

Rude sighs, squeezing Reno’s hand as he shuts his eyes, putting down his pen and rubbing at his head with his free hand. He feels a tap on the side of his glasses and nods, feeling nimble fingers carefully pull them off, his only barrier now his closed eyelids, “I… I just really, want this to all be over already.”

“I know babe,” Reno’s voice is much softer now as he rests his forehead against Rude’s, a couple of erratic strands tickling the skin underneath, “Believe me, I know. This shit sucks literal shit. But reality is what’s done is done, big meeting with the Pres is three whole days away and there ain’t anything else you can do about it till then,” Reno brings his other hand up to rub circles against the stubble on Rude’s cheek as he continues speaking, “And hell Rude, you already got Scarlet and fuckin’ Heidegger on your side, no one think’s this’s your fault. Yah gotta let things be what they are.”

Rude squeezes his eyes shut a hair harder, and lets out a harsh puff of air. Everything Reno’s saying is true, but that doesn’t make it any easier for him to believe it. 

“And besides,” There’s that mischievous edge in Reno’s tone now, like some switch was flicked in his brain, and it helps put Rude at ease to see his partner acting more like his work-place self. Reno gives Rude a wide smile as he pulls away, though he keeps their hands connected, “Since you decided to make me miss out on seeing you in gym shorts and a tank top tonight, now you owe me a night out, and I ain’t taking no for an answer.”

“And what if I’m not into whatever it is you’ve got planned for a ‘night out’?’ Rude asks, but he already knows that won’t be the case. He’s well aware that this is very much Reno’s way of making something seem like it’s all about himself so that his truer, less self-centered motivations are left to simmer beneath the surface until the times right. It’s a song and dance Rude’s intimately familiar with by now, and one he’s learned to handle and adapt to pretty well.

“Trust me, you’re not gonna wanna say no to this one,” Reno says, and flicks the paper wad back towards Rude, who raises his eyebrow in confusion as he picks it up. Reno rolls his eyes like he’s trying to see up into space and like a mom trying to teach her kid how to unwrap a present grabs Rude’s hand and maneuvers his fingers around until he’s forcing him to start unwrapping the paper wad. He gets a good laugh when Rude has enough of his fun and smacks his hand away to finish the job, “Even found a discount for it.”

It’s a flyer for one of their favorite food stands out at Rawlings Park, a place they’ve been frequenting since they’d first decided to give a name to whatever the hell they had going on with one another. **BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE** was written in bold black letters against the light blue paper, **JUST SHOW YOUR CASHIER THIS FLYER!** , and at the bottom was an expiration date for, of course, that night at midnight.

“…Reno did you dig this out of a dumpster.” There’s some suspicious-looking stains on the paper, and it seems far too rumpled for something that had just then been crushed into a ball, even if it had been stuffed in Reno’s pocket beforehand. It certainly wouldn’t be a first-time offense for the redhead.

“That’s for me to know, and for you to lose sleep over.” Reno snatched the paper back to stick it back down his pants and hops all the way off of Rude’s desk, nudging his partner’s gym over into his vacated spot, “Now c’mon, lamplights burning and I wanna get there before they sell outta the good stuff.” Rude looks down inside to see that Reno’s taken the liberty to stuff his casuals inside, the black shirt and pair of dark jeans he likes to keep handy in his locker. His leather jacket is in there as well, and his shoes likely underneath it all.

Rude doesn’t know whether to laugh or to sigh, so he keeps quiet as he pulls the clothing from his bag. He knows this is Reno trying his damndest to help get his mind off of all the shit he has to deal with right now, but it’s hard to justify doing this kind of stuff when you’re the one who caused the issue in the first place. There wouldn’t need to be all of this extra work and a whole meeting with President Shinra and the Board of Directors if he’d been just a little more careful, had taken better care to check his surroundings.

There’s a sudden pull in his mind for him to try and argue Reno out of this, to tell his partner to go on without him, but the painful growl that comes outta nowhere from his stomach, and has Reno losing his playful edge for a second as concern sneaks back onto his face, and it shuts that idea right down. Gaia, it had been what, after one when he’d gotten back to the office? He can’t remember if he actually stopped to eat lunch before locking himself away. Probably not. 

“So why the park, why not Raven’s or somewhere closer? You know they’re keeping that old boathouse locked up at night now.” Rude asks Reno, half out of curiosity and a half out of wanting to keep hearing Reno’s voice, to have something to keep his mind occupied. The other was back up on his desk, legs swinging away as he picked at a loose thread on his jeans.

“Ugh fuck no, I don’t plan on getting drunk enough for that to sound like a good idea again, ‘specially when you got that monster of a bed back home. Maybe it just so happens I’m in the mood for some Takoyaki and those fried dumpling you like so much, yah know?”

“Did you really forget what they’re called, or are you afraid you’ll mispronounce them again?” Rude chides lightly, remembering the spectacle of watching Reno try to properly order his favorite Costan dish before. He didn’t know who had had more fun, him or the cashier who had just eaten up the whole exchange with a large, exasperated smile on her face.

“Hey! Sh-shut up asshole! I can pronounce that shit just fine!” Reno shoots back, obviously not expecting the jab because his face goes bright red and he’d got that annoyed look going on that has Rude feeling far too tempted for their current situation.

“Uh-huh, sure, just remember it’s ‘-da’, not ‘-ba’.

“Alright damnit, I ain’t lookin’ for a grammar lesson! Would’ve just left your ass up here if I knew that what this would turn into.”

“Phonetics but, fine, I’ll go change.” There’s a part of Rude that would love to just continue poking at his partner but he settles on swooping down to plant a kiss on the way-too adorable pout he has going on. Reno gives him a nipped lip for that one, but his eyes have that hint of humor to them that Rude knows means everything’s fine.

And he can’t lie, a fuck-ton of fried food and cheap beer sounds like pure heaven right now, after the day he’s had. Especially if he can share it all with Reno, the one person he can even consider being close to right now.

Reno’s eyes have an undercurrent of something full of heat as he sweeps his arms up around Rude’s shoulders, planting his sunglasses back in their spot as Rude circles his own arms around Reno’s waist “You want help getting’ changed? Four hands are quicker than two, after all.”

“Can’t argue with that logic.” Rude says and helps Reno hop off the desk, the two of them quickly gathering their stuff up before flicking the lights off, leaving the darkened office and more importantly all of that damn paperwork behind, now headed towards the nearest bathroom on the floor.

******

As was expected of a place like Midgar, any significant patches of greenery were few and far between. The front yards and backyards of the Upper plates were known for some pretty impressive stone gardens and wooden patios, and attempts at anything else were often seen as a waste of time and a waste of money. Some families did manage to keep the occasional hardier variety they brought back from vacations to Icicle Inn or the Grasslands alive for more than a month, but they were few and far between.

As for the slums? With the rare exception of a certain church and homestead over in Sector 5, you could pretty much forget about it, a couple of weeds and strangler plants fought for space here and there, and while the flowers they produced were lovely, the damage they would ultimately cause the foundations of homes and businesses meant they were ultimately ripped out and burned away once spotted.

But there were, thankfully, some exceptions. Reno knows he must’ve walked right past the place hundreds of times throughout his life, but never really noticed it for what it was until he was out walking one night with Rude.

It had been their second official date, and while their first had been a fairly low-key visit to one of their favorite pool halls (complete with a private room), their second had started off as a straight-up disaster. Reno and Rude had gone to a hotpot place Tseng had mentioned being particularly fond of, but just as the waiter was finishing setting up the massive pot on their table, a fight between two other customers broke out. Turned out a business deal had just gone to shit, so the offended party had decided the best response was to unsheathe a hidden blade from his sleeve, in the middle of a crowded restaurant, and knock the other out of his seat.

Reno and Rude’s table had been one of the first casualties, quickly followed by the rest of the tables in the tiny space, and while they’d both automatically jumped from their seats at the first sign of trouble, it hadn’t done them much good against the hot oil and broth that splattered all over their clothes.

Within moments the entire place was pure chaos, dishes smashed, drinks spilled, chairs reduced to splinters, and other customers scrambling towards the only exit. Spurred on by a powerful mixture of pain, annoyance, and hunger they’d taken care of the scuffle with the quick grace that kept the public from ever discovering the Turk’s work, Reno using the e-mag stuffed down his boot to bring both assailants to their knees and Rude knocking them out with quick, nonlethal blows to the head. They’d left the place with a full refund and complementary cans of beer, laughing and joking about the absurdity of what had just happened, but with stomachs that were still empty and smelling like they’d both taken a dive into an old grease trap.

It was already pretty close to nine, as they were only able to grab a later table with how last-minute their reservation was. With few other ideas and limited options of where to head Rude had suggested they just walk around Sector 8 for a bit until they either found something or got bored enough to head back to one of their apartments.

As Reno finished up his beer and was about to suggest they give up and order from one of the take-out spots near Rude’s apartment his partner had stopped suddenly, so much so that Reno found himself being yanked backwards by their intertwined fingers.

“The hell man?!”

“Never noticed that before.” Rude answered, pointing across the street to a huge, lot. It was hard to tell because there was people all over the place but there seemed to be thousands of lights strung up everywhere, and the longer they stood there the harder it was to ignore the smell of fried foods and barbeque that Reno assumed was coming from the corner filled with rows of trucks, wagons, and tents, “Wanna check it out? Probably won’t have to worry about being kicked out looking like this.”

Reno blinked, still trying to take in the world beneath the controlled chaos of all those lights, and shrugged, “Sure, I’m game to try anything at this point, s‘long as there’s food.” And with that they took an opening to dash across the road, and see where the night would take them.

They found out later from a quick search online that the place was called Rawlings Park, a passion-project donated for and even built by the residents of that section of the sector as place to relax and, more recently, host lots and lots of festivals. It was covered in fake grass, that astro-turf stuff made from recycled rubber, with raised planters here and there to keep the actual living plants safe. There was even a man-made lake near the end of the massive property that was large enough to support a pretty bustling boating and water-sports scene with a sandy shore surrounding the whole thing.

Considering how their night had started, discovering the park had been a literal jackpot, and once they’d learned the place was the weekly host for tons of food stands and some local merchants it became their go-to location when they started getting tired of dark bars and overly-expensive night clubs. It was the perfect place to blend into the crowd, and be themselves for a little while.

And now here Reno was, over a year later, waiting for his order of food and booze to be called out at the same damn booth that stole their taste buds that same disastrous date night. Rude had gone off to claim their usual spot, so now he’s stuck waiting alone towards the back of the crowd, close enough to hear numbers being called out but far away enough that he won’t get yelled at by the owner again for smoking near the food. He tries to make the cigarette last since he’d tossed the pack to Rude before the two of them separated, but the way his brain is running in circles right now has him puffing away pretty relentlessly. 

Reno still isn’t sure if this was the best plan for dealing with Rude’s current mood, but frankly it’s all he’s got with how quickly everything went down, and not being able to get a good read on his partner as he locked himself away in the aftermath.

His first attempt to get Rude to let go of that turmoil via beating the shit outta some stuff down in the gym was dead on arrival, but while showering off Reno had remembered the flyer he’d stuffed into his backpack a week early (that he’d found in the recycling, NOT a dumpster) and decided a good deal would be the perfect excuse to help get his partner’s mind on more pleasant thoughts.

He can’t and won’t blame Rude for his reaction to this crappy situation he’s been forced in to, and he’s also not gonna pretend like what happened didn’t happen, that wouldn’t be fair to Rude or anyone else involved. That morning his partner had been sent on what should have been a quick and easy solo mission, to secure a house that was being used to store dangerous materials right in the middle of a bustling city street. All around pretty routine.

Heidegger’s intel had noted a few bombing rigs set around the back lot of the house, designed more as an alert then to do any real harm, that Rude had taken care of with ease. But what intel hadn’t discovered was that these particular dealers had had the bright idea to hide much of their poor quality merchandise, including what Scarlet had described afterwards as some ‘truly atrocious’ homemade bombs they must’ve been looking to sell on the cheap, into the very walls and roof of the place. 

Once a shot was fired from a the back window towards Rude’s small unit of Shinra security, a firefight quickly broke out, and all it took was for a single bullet to miss it’s mark and go into the wall before everything just, erupted.

Rude hadn’t wanted to talk about it, but Reno had seen the immediate report he’d written up for the incident since as Second-in-Command him and Tseng had to sign off on it. There had been a loud bang and bright flash, and before anyone could think to move two of the six guards Rude had with him had been taken out by some of the shrapnel raining down on them, along with all eight occupants of the home and one unfortunate civilian out on the street. There had been a massive amount of property damage, but the odd timing of the raid had been the unit’s one saving grace, as only Rude and the rest of his squad plus two other civilians had been injured. If it had happened any later or earlier in the day, it could have been catastrophic. 

The deaths of Shinra personnel already made things messy, but a civilian getting add into the mix meant this wasn’t being treated like other cases where a Turks’ mission had gone south. The President and all of the directors would have to get together, along with Rude, Tseng, and the surviving members of his unit. There was a reason why the Turks took it to heart to ensure the public never knew they existed beyond the stories kids tried to scare their friends with, the bureaucratic and public nightmare it could quickly evolve into was no picnic for anyone.

Rude being Rude had taken the weight of everything onto his own shoulders, thus his extended stay in their office that night and the terrifying way he had just, shut down once he got back to base. There wasn’t much in this world that Reno hated more than seeing his partner brought down so low, and refused to let his lover fall even lower. Not without trying.

When he’s down to puffing on ashes, out of the corner of his eye someone wearing the distinctive shades of rosy pink and leathery brown catches his attention enough for him to pause. Sure enough he turns around and spots a familiar looking Ancient across the street. Aerith’s standing right outside the doors to the district’s largest theatre, one arm cradling a well-worn basket overflowing with flowers and her other hand outstretched towards the throng of people out walking around.

Reno smirked and took a look back down at his order number. 278, and he could hear the cashier calling out in the low 220’s. Should be just enough time to pay a quick visit. Blending himself into the crowd of folks taking the opportunity of a lull in the traffic to dash across the street. Once on the sidewalk Reno keeps to shadows so Aerith doesn’t spot his bright red hair too soon, and eventually ends up standing right behind her right as she finishes a sale to a young woman who hands the red rose off to her female companion, the blush on her face bright enough to rival the blossom. He gives the ladies a moment to walk off before sliding up behind Aerith and diving in,

“Well well, someone’s _awfully_ far from home this evening, when’d you become a nightbird Princess?”

To her credit, the only sign of her ‘surprise’ was her head perking up at hearing his voice, “Dunno, maybe I got inspired by my tall, dark, and handsome bodyguard,” Aerith said nonchalantly, turning around to face Reno, “Or maybe, from his far shorter partner who seems to have forgotten his manners. Again.” 

“Damn that’s cold kid, and here I thought you liked it when I fixed all those drafts in that church of yours.” Reno replied. Aerith rolled her eyes at his response but the warm smile that Reno was quite familiar with was back, “The hell you doing on this side of the sector anyway Gainsborough? Your mom know you’re out this late? Cause if you go back all scrapped up again she won’t be happy with either of us.” He cautioned jokingly.

“Actually, mom’s the one who suggested I come over her tonight,” Aerith answers, swinging her basket of flowers back and forth as she speaks, “They’re starting a new show in the theatre tonight, one of the ladies in the neighborhood had extra tickets and mom thought it’d be something I’d like to see! But I decided I needed to come down here and give all these lovely couples the chance to take home a lovely little memento of their time out tonight!”

“Uh-huh. And does Elmyra know about this little scheme you got going on?”

“She knows I brought my coin purse to buy some popcorn, she just doesn’t know how much I decided to bring with me.” Aerith went out about adjusting some a few of the flowers, tossing away a few dried leaves she conveniently noticed on a few of the blooms. Reno snorted with how innocent she was trying to make herself look, she might be all sunshine and roses on the outside, but he knows how clever a businesswoman she can be when she has her mind and wallet set on something. Gaia help them all if she ever decides to open up an entire store someday.

Reno’s about to make another jab when he pauses mid-breath. Something draws his attention to the bundle of flowers Aerith has tucked against her elbow, and then he gets an idea. Rude’s always been a softie for Aerith, and more importantly all the little plants she grows, and he always has that smile on his face, the one that’s all in his eyes so he can keep it hidden behind his glasses, whenever she rewards him with a bud or two when he gets put on guard duty. Maybe…

Aerith crocks her head like an owl, eyes as big and bright as one too, “Uhhh Reno? You okay? You got a weird look on your face, weird even for you.” Then, she gets that knowing look on her face, smiling like she’s just caught on to some big secret she can’t wait for him to spill.

“Hey Princess, how much for one.”

Reno swears he sees her bow perk up in excitement, knowing she’s got him hook, line, sinker, “ _Weeellllll_ , that would depend on what you’re looking to buy. This one for instance,” Aerith picks up a yellow lily, one of the ones Reno knows she likes to grow in that old church of hers, “I’d say for you would be about, oh, 1500 Gil.”

“1500?! What the hell kid-” Aerith shushes him, pressing the flower up against his lip to cease any further objections. It’s all for show on both their ends, but it’s a game they both enjoy playing with one another, and Reno thinks it’s good that she learn how to haggle if she plans on keeping her little business up.

“There there’s this!” Now she fishes out a red rose, similar to the one the girl from earlier bought, “Always a classic, especially for the romantic ones, but given supply and demand, it would have to be right at 2000.”

“Finally, we have this little fella.” Aerith drops the other two back in her basket, and draws out a flower that Reno hadn’t noticed before. Each of its five petals are a dark shade of purple, curling outwards almost like a bell. There’s something more subtle and unassuming about this flower against all the other’s in Aerith’s basket, but there’s something about it that just screams “Perfect” in Reno’s mind, “Now this is my last one so, my suggestion would be sooner, rather than later since-”

“Supply and demand, I know, heard you the first twelve times. So what are we looking at? 2000, 2500, 3500?” Reno jokes, but there’s a part of him that hopes Aerith isn’t expecting him to go that high. Especially if he’s not even sure if Rude’ll like the damn thing in the first place, or just laugh when he sees Reno with it.

“Oof now, that’s hard one, since it is my last bellflower. But for you Reno, I’d say…” “This time, it’s on the house.” Aerith sticks the flower into the little pocket on his button-down, stepping back with a wide smile on her face.

Reno blinked, hand hovering over the pocket with his wallet in it. Huh. Well that was unexpected, he was used to the exuberant prices Aerith would sometimes give the Turks, which they would always end up paying anyway, knowing it was at least going towards a good cause.

“Wait, you were just-” He still tries to pull his wallet out, but Aerith grabs his hand instead, patting it against the pocket holding his newest accessory.

“Oh don’t worry about it, I know what it’s really for, or maybe I oughta say who? And I’ll make you a deal, if he doesn’t like it, I’ll give you a full refund!” Something in her eyes shifts, and she looks over towards the part of the park he’s just walked from, “Oh! I think your food’ll be ready soon, might wanna cross the street while it’s all clear. Enjoy the rest of your night ‘bodyguard’, and make sure you say hi to Rude for me! I’ll know if you don’t!” and with that Aerith starts walking away, heading off towards Gaia knows where, but Reno has a feeling she’ll get home safe.

“Trust me, not makin’ that mistake twice.” He scoffs, but there’s a smile as he looks down at the little flower. Ahh well, he thinks as he walks back, it’s better than nothing.

*****

“Get it right this time?”

“Fuck off, or I’m not sharing.” Reno says, setting down the bag of food and drink tray on the bench next to Rude who scoots over to give him more space. 

Like almost every other time they’ve come here, their first choice in seating is one of the many benches surrounding Rawlings Park’s man-made lake. Each one is located just above the cross-over from dirt into sand, and as all watersports have to close up shop by sundown, by nightfall the area is shockingly empty for how busy the rest of the place gets.

From getting the food to walking on down it was a good eight minute trek, and Reno’s more than ready to just tear the brown paper bag that’s been smelling absolutely incredible those entire eight minutes open and start eating. Rude’s approach is a bit calmer, pulling their drinks out and divvying up silverware before gently grabbing the bag and using his thumb to tear the sticker keeping it sealed. Reno just stares at it when he hands it back over, before that pout settles back on his face and he grumbles out a “Show-off”.

They’d gone for their usual favorites, Takoyaki for Reno, Chocobo empanadas for Rude, and a side of grilled street corn for each of them, plus plenty of cheap beer and soda to wash it all down.

Rude even swipes a few pieces of Reno’s octopus that has the redhead growing increasingly annoyed at just so he can see the smile on Rude’s face grow larger each time, trying and failing to snatch one of his partner’s empanadas in a mini-fight that almost breaks both their chopsticks. Within minutes everything is picked clean, Reno pulls out a bag of candied fruit from one of the other booths to split for dessert, and afterwards they both lean back to get more comfortable on the worn wood. Reno sighs and drops his head onto Rude’s shoulder, who wraps an arm around his waist and cushions his face against his bright red hair.

“Fuck man, been too long since we came out here, was starting to forget what it was like to have eat something outta those damn vending machines.” While Shinra Tower sported a number of expectedly expensive cafes and coffee shops, the main cafeteria for employees that was actually reasonably priced was a room filled with rows and rows of vending machines, designed to encourage employees to take their food back up to their office so as to not waste a single precious moment in the working day, “Or eat somewhere with a view, for that matter.”

“Wait, you saying you don’t like going to Raven’s for the scenery? Thought that was your favorite thing about the place.” Rude asks sarcastically, laughing when Reno drives an elbow under a rib. 

“Asshole, you’re the reason we get a discount AND an open table there in the first place!” Raven’s was the slum bar Rude had worked for the longest in his earlier years living in Midgar, and he’d tossed out enough unruly patrons during that time to earn himself the coveted ‘open table’ status by the owner herself. Only problem was, their two options were either the table next to the bathrooms, or the set of stool down by the garbage cans. The food was also questionable at best but who says no to half-off appetizers?

“Hmmm true.” Rude narrowly dodges another elbow, still laughing as he tugs Reno closer and nudges his face closer to his ear, “Hey Reno?”

“Now what?”

“I know your gonna tell me not to say it but, I’m sorry I stood you up earlier. Even with everything going on it was still a dick move, I should’ve just asked to reschedule or something.” Rude says, and Reno doesn’t need to turn to know he’s got that look on his face now, the one he knows means his partner is being serious about what he’s saying, “And I also wanna say thank you, for not letting me keep myself locked away from everything, would’ve just done more damage in the long run.” Reno keeps his eyes trained on the body of water stretched out before them and shrugs, though he does grab at the hand encircling his waist to squeeze and start stroking at the small amount of skin left uncovered by those damn bandages. One final reminder of what had happened that day, maybe he should borrow Rude’s bracer when they get back and see if he can’t help speed up the healing process.

“Already told you it’s cool Rude. I thought you might’ve just wanted some more time to yourself, ya’know? To try and get shit figured in that brain of yours. S’why I didn’t try to interrupt you any earlier but…” Reno bit his lip, training his eyes on the ground as continues on, “I walked by the office on the way to the showers and you looked, Gaia Rude I don’t know how the hell to explain it, other than you just looked so, deflated. Like all the life was sucked right outta yah. I knew I had to at least try something. Even if it was just this.” He gestures to the bag of trash at their feet, the empty lake shining dimly thanks to the tiny corner of moon peeking out behind the clouds. It really wasn’t that much, when he stopped and thought about for a second.

“Well “just this” turned out to be just right so I’ll say it again, thanks partner.” Rude’s other hand slides over onto Reno’s leg, rubbing at his thigh in the same rhythmic pattern he’s now rubbing his side at. It feels so good Reno has to control himself before he starts purring.

“Yeah well, you can pay me back by carrying me back to the car, keep doing that and your gonna make me pass out.

Rude laughs, and for a moment everything’s quiet between the two, until, “What’s that?”

“Huh?” Rude points towards the flower still sitting in Reno’s shirt pocket “Oh, Princess was peddling them near that old theatre, stopped to chat and she gave me one so I’d fuck off,” It’s not the whole truth, but it does the job and Rude nods, those his eyes don’t leave the tiny blossom. He brings a hand up and gently runs a finger against the velvety petals, and though his eyes are still hidden behind his sunglasses Reno would almost describe the expression on his face as the Rude version of someone being totally enthralled.

Then, Reno remembers the whole reason he asked for the flower in the first place, “Here Rude,” he plucks it from his own pocket to slip it into one of the button-holes on Rude’s leather jacket, “And she said to tell you hi, which you better let her know the next time you see her or she’ll come after my ass with that staff of hers.”

“So this was her idea huh?” Rude asks, and Reno’s about to say yes, but he’s stopped by Rude reaching up to remove his glasses, the sight of those dark brown eyes cutting him off from his lie. His eyes say, “I know the truth” but his questions says he won’t argue with whatever Reno tells him, let him save face in the midst all of all of this.

Reno bites his lip hard enough to taste copper, until he can finally get the words, “Nah I mean, she helped pick it out but I uh, I asked for her help so it was, it was my idea, I guess.”

Rude doesn’t say anything else, he just smiles and leans down to press a kiss on Reno’s lips, who quickly re-orientates himself and responds enthusiastically. They continue to trade warm, deep kisses, occasionally coming up for air though Rude takes advantage of their need to breath to lick away the blood from Reno’s lips, sending them crashing into one another all over again. Neither knows how long their make-out session goes on for, but before wandering hands can make it down to belt buckles and zippers the sound of something booming off in the distance catches their attention. 

The turn back towards the lake just in time to hear another boom, but this time a shower of red and gold sparks rain down from the center of the sky, surprising them both.

“Damn, wonder if there’s a festival going on somewhere, or maybe some jackasses garage just exploded.” Reno laughs, captivated by the barrage of fireworks filling up the night sky. He suddenly remembers his partner’s sensitivity to bright lights however and turns back to Rude, who’s gaze is still trained on Reno, “This okay? If it’s too much we can start heading back to the car.”

“Nah, should be far away enough that it won’t be an issue.” He does slide his sunglasses back on though, as a precaution, and then carefully lifts and maneuvers Reno to wear he’s sitting between his legs, so both of them are still able to watch the show while Rude wraps both his arms around his waist and rests his head on Reno’s shoulders. “One hell of way to finish a day like today off though.”

“And best part is we’re both here to enjoy it.” The thought escapes from Reno mouth before he can clamp down on it, but instead of ruining the mood Rude just hums in agreement and squeezes him to chest a hair tighter, and now he’s really gotta be careful he doesn’t fall asleep right then and there.

At this point they don’t bother with the time, more than happy to just sit back and watch the sky fill with light, the fireworks reflecting perfectly off of the lake mirrored surface. They’ll find their way back home eventually but for now, this is just enough.

  
_Two Weeks Later_

Reno slams the door shut, leaning against the cold metal for a moment as he lets out a sigh of relief. It had been a long, long day at the office, a lot of messy assignments had meant a lot of clean-ups, and he was more than ready to jump in the shower.

Sounds like he’ll have to wait a bit longer though, as he kicks off his shoes off and pushes himself towards the living room. Reno could just make out the sound of water running from the bathroom.

“Rude must’ve jumped in after the gym.” He thinks out loud, pivoting towards the kitchen instead to grab a beer out of the fridge. As he cracks a can open and goes to jump up onto the counter (a habit Rude has long since stopped trying to dissuade), he pauses mid-sip when he notices something that hadn’t been on their island that morning.

The purple flower was still there, holding out well in a beer can that’d been fished out of the recycling and cleaned out, but now sitting behind it looked like an old liquor bottle that had also been cleaned up. Sticking out of the glass was a myriad of flowers, mainly red and white blossoms with a few of those familiar yellow lilies stuck in here and there.

Setting his beer down Reno steps over to get a closer look at the bouquet, it absolutely screams of Aerith but Reno can just as easily imagine his partner picking the flowers out, and helping decide on how to arrange the whole thing. Reno smiles, a gently runs his fingers across the topmost part, feeling the velvety petals underneath.

He also reaches over for the other makeshift vase, carefully lifting the bellflower out so it’s stem doesn’t get caught on the metal, and then just as carefully inserts it into the middle of the large bouquet. He adjusts a few more petals and leaves, takes a step back, and gives it a once over. He’d never claim to have the eyes of an artist, but seeing the deep purple resting against the bright red, he can’t help but think about how well the colors go together. 

Satisfied, Reno grabs his beer again to take another sip, but another thought pops in his mind that has him chugging the rest down, and heading towards their bathroom where the sound of running water is still emerging out of, shucking out of his jacket and unbuttoning the few remaining buttons on his work uniform. 

Maybe Rude’ll want some company in his shower, and what better time to give him a little thank-you present?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this one, comments and kudos are always extremely appreciated, and if you wanna find me feel free to check out my Twitter @acerosedrop!


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